AFNET migration about to begin

By LOIS WALSH / Team Eglin Public Affairs

Published: Friday, September 13, 2013 at 11:12 AM.

The Air Force’s number one cyber priority is its network migration initiative, and computer users here are just a few short weeks away from joining the program.
The initiative, known as AFNET, is creating a single Air Force computer network to improve command and control, standardize training procedures, reduce operational cost and simplify operations and maintenance.
The 96th Communication Squadron’s AFNET team has been working since November 2012 to ensure thousands of e-mail accounts migrate during the transition, which officially begins Sept. 23. Unclassified accounts are being phased in through the end of October to ensure the changeover runs smoothly.
The team is spending most of their time behind the scenes, preparing Eglin’s network for migration. They’ve clocked countless hours ensuring servers have the critical patches needed to protect the network from vulnerabilities.
Tech Sgt. Danny Lopez, 96th CS NCOIC for Enterprise Support, said basic users also need to be involved even though their e-mail accounts will automatically migrate to the new system. She encourages users to follow a few simple steps.
“Reboot your computer daily so any new patches or policies being pushed down gets to it,” Lopez said. “Look at the size of your e-mail box. There are limits to both personal and organizational mailboxes.”
Lopez said all users are being notified when they’re reaching their limit, and those limits will not change. Being over the mailbox size limit interrupt mails from being delivered to an account. Mail should be going directly into the e-mail box and users should stop any rules that direct that traffic to other folders. People should move e-mails to personal folders in order to avoid the size limits or the maximum amount of mail current accounts can hold. She encouraged anyone with questions to talk to a computer system administrator or read information posted at their SharePoint site.
A distinct advantage of migration is the use of us.af.mil as the primary email address. The Eglin.af.mil address will become the secondary address. Master Sgt. Erick Andujar, section chief, network operations, encouraged users to notify contacts outside the Eglin domain of that change.
“Once the Air Force completes the migration, you won’t need to create a new account as long as your affiliation with the AF doesn’t change,” said Andujar.
Tech Sgt. Rosemarie Moore, NCOIC, DEERS/ID office, said all certificates currently loaded on to active CAC ID cards will migrate over to the new AFNET system.
“CSAs can help for any extremely rare cases that need to be researched,” she said.
The AFNET migration project represents a major change to how computer networks are managed and is one of the most complex DOD technology initiatives ever attempted. Andujar expects a smooth migration to the new network with most users not knowing they’re logged into a different domain. However, he admits glitches might happen to a small percentage of users.
“People might be affected because we’re dealing with computers,” Andujar said. “Back up your files, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
For more information, visit the 96th CS SharePoint site or call the communications focal point at 882-2666.

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The Air Force’s number one cyber priority is its network migration initiative, and computer users here are just a few short weeks away from joining the program.
The initiative, known as AFNET, is creating a single Air Force computer network to improve command and control, standardize training procedures, reduce operational cost and simplify operations and maintenance.
The 96th Communication Squadron’s AFNET team has been working since November 2012 to ensure thousands of e-mail accounts migrate during the transition, which officially begins Sept. 23. Unclassified accounts are being phased in through the end of October to ensure the changeover runs smoothly.
The team is spending most of their time behind the scenes, preparing Eglin’s network for migration. They’ve clocked countless hours ensuring servers have the critical patches needed to protect the network from vulnerabilities.
Tech Sgt. Danny Lopez, 96th CS NCOIC for Enterprise Support, said basic users also need to be involved even though their e-mail accounts will automatically migrate to the new system. She encourages users to follow a few simple steps.
“Reboot your computer daily so any new patches or policies being pushed down gets to it,” Lopez said. “Look at the size of your e-mail box. There are limits to both personal and organizational mailboxes.”
Lopez said all users are being notified when they’re reaching their limit, and those limits will not change. Being over the mailbox size limit interrupt mails from being delivered to an account. Mail should be going directly into the e-mail box and users should stop any rules that direct that traffic to other folders. People should move e-mails to personal folders in order to avoid the size limits or the maximum amount of mail current accounts can hold. She encouraged anyone with questions to talk to a computer system administrator or read information posted at their SharePoint site.
A distinct advantage of migration is the use of us.af.mil as the primary email address. The Eglin.af.mil address will become the secondary address. Master Sgt. Erick Andujar, section chief, network operations, encouraged users to notify contacts outside the Eglin domain of that change.
“Once the Air Force completes the migration, you won’t need to create a new account as long as your affiliation with the AF doesn’t change,” said Andujar.
Tech Sgt. Rosemarie Moore, NCOIC, DEERS/ID office, said all certificates currently loaded on to active CAC ID cards will migrate over to the new AFNET system.
“CSAs can help for any extremely rare cases that need to be researched,” she said.
The AFNET migration project represents a major change to how computer networks are managed and is one of the most complex DOD technology initiatives ever attempted. Andujar expects a smooth migration to the new network with most users not knowing they’re logged into a different domain. However, he admits glitches might happen to a small percentage of users.
“People might be affected because we’re dealing with computers,” Andujar said. “Back up your files, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
For more information, visit the 96th CS SharePoint site or call the communications focal point at 882-2666.